I sit down with my friend Ed Do for this important discussion on the current US political landscape and what progressives are facing and needing during this very critical time. Ed currently works for a US Democrat Congressman from Texas, representing his district that includes the Dallas and Ft Worth area.

In our long conversation, we talked about Ed’s upbringing as a queer, mixed Korean American, and how his mother and grandmother from his Korean side inspired him to be involved in politics through their own experiences fighting for Korean independence from Japan during the early 20th century to the Korean pro-democracy movements during the South Korean dictatorship during the 1970’s and 80’s.

Ed discusses his experience on Capitol Hill, and we dive into the current struggles within progressives, liberals, and the Democratic party in preparation for the 2026 mid-term election. From Gaza to the ICE raids to Medicaid cuts, and so on, we examined the voter frustration and how voters can find ways to resist the current administration in charge.

Also, hear Ed’s funny encounter with US Senator Ted Cruz aka the “Real” Zodiac Killer several years ago, and what he is doing to prepare for the next 3+ years of Trump and the GOP party.

(Captioning is available as well for this episode)

Bio:

Edward Do (Do Woojeong, 도우정- he/him) is a 1.5 mixed Korean American. Born and raised in Seoul, and moving to the States at age 10 and again at 13, he lived and went to college in Massachusetts/New England. While

His interest in the intersection of politics and justice was sparked in middle school after hearing about his Grandmother's involvement in anti-colonial forces during Japanese occupation and his mother's participation in Pro-Democracy protests in Korea during the 70s and 80s.

After undergrad, Edward worked in the Senate for Elizabeth Warren in Washington, D.C., before departing for Chicago to help build out NGOs whose goal was economic development in health and education through the decolonization of the NGO model.

Unfortunately for him, he has returned to D.C. to work in the House of Representatives for a Democrat in leadership, where he is the Communications Director and Advisor (East Asia, Korea, Korean American, and Asian American affairs) to the Congressman. He did this against his better judgments because he "knew the Democrats were going to lose in 2024 and felt a call to help fight".

An avowed pragmatic progressive, he has been described as the most blunt and acerbic human being on earth.

In his free time he is addicted to good coffee, remains competitive internationally at Taekwondo- where he has been a member of the US national team, and playing board games/video games with friends and his cat, Yuja.

He is also gay as fuck.

To follow Ed, check him out on Instagram at Eyeyedo or on his LinkedIn for more questions and inquiries.